Ed Park (1) (1970–)

I originally purchased this to decide whether or not I was going to subscribe to The Believer. I'm a fan of long form criticism, and there isn't enough of it to go around. The Believer still holds onto the idea that long form criticism is important. I'm glad that someone does.

What I found in these pages were essays that ranged from good to great. There wasn't a bad essay here, though some are more memorable than others. "Like Cormac McCarthy, but Funny" by Ed Park has convinced me to give Charles Portis a try. "The Bad Mormon" by Ben Ehrenreich was also fascinating. I'm not sure if I'm a fan of Rick Moody or not, but is essay "How to Be a Christian Artist" was decently written and interesting. Tom Bissel's discussion of books aimed at writers, "Sir, Permission to Go AWOL from the Interesting, Sir" has convinced me to stop reading those damn things(mostly). "Waiting for a Bad Thing" by Sam Lipsyte gave me the instant desire to find out more about Michel Houellebecq. The essay that stayed with me the most was "Transmissions from Camp Trans" by Michelle Tea.

All in all, it's a great collection. It's convinced me that I have to be a subscriber to The Believer. My only problem now is what do I read next? It's pretty hard to find quality essay work like this.

If anyone has any suggestions for collections of long form criticism, I'm all ears!… (plus d'informations)

Good try. Doomed to be overshadowed by Ferris' Then We Came to the End, a similar tale of cubicle-and-layoff angst also told in the first person plural that got there a year earlier and adds up to more. Park's novel has more details and more jokes, but even thinner character development. Having worked at an internet ad agency during the economic crunch from 2000-2002 and seen the surreal half-empty workspaces and abandoned floors and disappearing co-workers that Park dramatizes I understand his point about the flatness and inauthenticity of that worklife--but that doesn't mean he couldn't create characters that are genuinely distinguishable and interesting.… (plus d'informations)